LL38 Update....

Battle of the Books….

We prepared for “battle” last week, as we started the Battle of the Picture Books.  We are in the "training" stages as we read through the picture books that are going into battle.  32 fiction and nonfiction picture books are participating in our Battle of the Books.  After we have had time to read all of the contenders, we will start to vote on the best picture book. 

Vacation Reading…

I know that winter vacation is usually a very busy time.  I am going to be reminding the kids about the importance of finding time to read over vacation.  Reading for a few minutes a day will help them to start 2015 on the right note!

Thank You!

        Thanks to everyone that has sent in (or will be sending in) the sugar cubes and frosting for our Snow Fort project.  The kids are very excited to get started on their snow forts.  It isn’t the real thing, but it will be close!  J

I hope everyone enjoys the holidays with their families.  Have a great week!

~Mrs. Lewis

It’s Time to Build

SNOW FORTS!!!

            Next week we are going to work on a math project using what we have learned about area and perimeter!  We are going to use our math knowledge to build SNOW FORTS!  The only problem is we don’t have any snow! 

        We are asking for your help so that we can make snow forts inside.  We are looking for each student to donate a box of sugar cubes.  Also, if you are able to donate a container of white frosting (not whipped frosting) that would be helpful too.  In the past we have been able to find sugar cubes at Market Basket and Hannafords. 

        We are hoping to have our “snow” (sugar cubes) delivered by Monday, December 22^nd!  If you can donate an additional box of sugar cubes for students that cannot bring in a box, please let me know.

        We look forward to building our “snow” forts next week!   

                    

Realistic Fiction Publishers!

        I have attached a letter that was sent home with students on Friday.  I wanted them to be able to work on their final copies of their fictional narratives if they had time this weekend.  Thank you for your support with this.

Dear Families,

          Your child is ready to publish their realistic fictional narrative!  We have been learning lots of great strategies that writers use to create realistic fiction stories.  For the past few days we have been starting to type these stories in the computer lab on Google Docs.  It is now your child’s responsibility to finish typing these at home. 

          I have explained to the kids that they can have someone help them type, but it should be typed exactly as they have written it.  I want this to be a reflection and a celebration of what they can do as a writer. 

          These narratives need to be typed by Wednesday, December 17^th.  Your child DOES NOT have to print them as we will print them in school. 

          They are very proud of their work.  They are going to be placing these stories in the Farley School Library for other children to see and learn from!

          Thank you for your support with this assignment.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lewis

Mystery Reader Reminder….

On Tuesday, December 23^rd we have a full day of school.  To kick start our winter vacation, we are going to be participating in a fun reading activity called, “Booked In.”   We are going to spend a large part of that day reading some great books.  To add to the fun, I thought it would be great if we could host some MYSTERY READERS. 

What is a MYSTERY Reader?

We are looking for parents, grandparents, or siblings to volunteer to read a favorite picture book or poem to our class on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd.  The mystery will be that the students will not know who is coming in to read to our class.  It will be a great surprise for all of the kids. 

Here is what you can do….

J  Volunteer as a mystery reader…let me know via email or a sealed envelope if you are available to read a picture book or poem on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd. 

J  Shhh….keep this a secret from the students!  J

If you can’t volunteer to read that day, it is completely fine.  I know that this is a very busy time of year.  Please let me know if you are available to be a Mystery Reader by Thursday, December 18^th  so that I can put together a schedule.

Coming up this week….

MATH

We will continue to work on division this week.  By the end of the week we will be learning about double digit by double digit multiplication.  They students continue to impress me with their understanding of division and multiplication.  We will be wrapping up Unit 3 by next week!

READING WORKSHOP

       We are continuing to talk about theme in reading.  We have talked about how theme is like an umbrella and is the big idea, and the lesson of the story falls under the umbrella or theme.  We have also talked about how books can have more than one theme or lesson.

       While your child is reading at home, you can check in with him or her and talk about what the theme of the story might be.  Students should also be able to back up their thinking with evidence (words right from the text) from the story.

WRITING WORKSHOP

        In writing, we are starting a new unit on Literary Essay.  The kids will be able to take what they learned from our personal essay unit back in September and apply it to talking and writing about books.  We will spend a lot of time this week reading picture books to get a better idea of the types of books that we like and which books get us thinking more deeply about the story.

I hope everyone has a great week! 

~Mrs. Lewis J  

Just a reminder:   Report Cards go home with students on Friday, December 19^th!

Shhh....Mystery Readers Wanted!

On Tuesday, December 23^rd we have a full day of school.  To kick start our winter vacation, we are going to be participating in a fun reading activity called, “Booked In.”   We are going to spend a large part of that day reading some great books.  To add to the fun, I thought it would be great if we could host some MYSTERY READERS. 

What is a MYSTERY Reader?

We are looking for parents, grandparents, or siblings to volunteer to read a favorite picture book or poem to our class on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd.  The mystery will be that the students will not know who is coming in to read to our class.  It will be a great surprise for all of the kids. 

Here is what you can do….

J  Volunteer as a mystery reader…let me know via email or a sealed envelope if you are available to read a picture book or poem on the morning of Tuesday, December 23^rd. 

J  Shhh….keep this a secret from the students!  J

If you can’t volunteer to read that day, it is completely fine.  I know that this is a very busy time of year.  

Please let me know if you are available to be a Mystery Reader by Tuesday, December 16^th so that I can put together a schedule.

Thank you,

Mrs. Lewis

jlewis@hudson.k12.ma.us

"Bright" Students!

Fourth Graders SHINE…

          Last week our fourth grade scientists had the challenge of getting a light bulb to light up for our Magnets and Electricity unit!  Each group had wires, a D-Cell, and a light bulb and set to work.  Some groups were able to get the bulb to light up right away, while other groups took a little more time.  Either way, it was very exciting when they were able to get the bulb to light up!  At times some kids didn't think they could do it, but with a growth mindset every single student was successful!  It was a great day in our classroom!

Taking a CLOSE look at our writing….

          On Thursday we started to talk about how we could take on the difficult task of editing our writing.  We talked about how editing our writing for capitals, punctuation, and spelling can be overwhelming, however, if we zoom in on our writing and edit using one “lens” (capitals, punctuation, or spelling) we can complete the task.  Each student decided what part of editing they were going to focus on.  They took their time and worked like “college students” to edit their writing.  They certainly rose to the occasion and really focused in on improving their writing.

As excited as kids in a candy store….

Early on in the week we started to talk about adding similes into our writing to really “paint” a picture for the reader in our writing.  We talked about similes which compare two objects using the words “like” or “as.”  The kids had the opportunity to create similes for a variety of objects that were placed around the classroom.  (I tried to post some pictures here, but they were very blurry!)  Ask your child what similes they were able to write for the objects.  

:)

What can you do to support your child at home?

          You can help support your child at home by noticing similes in books with your child.  You could also notice times throughout your day when you hear a simile or can create a simile based on something that is going on around you.  Have fun!

I hope everyone has a great week!  

~Mrs. Lewis

Important Dates:

12/10- Half Day of School

12/19- Report Cards Go Home